"Win" means getting first, second, or third place in any given quarter. Essentially, if you get any form of cash prize, you have "won" the contest, even if you did not get first place or the grand prize.

You can absolutely enter multiple quarters in a row before results come out. In fact, it's a good strategy to try to enter every quarter, as this maximizes your opportunities to win. You cannot, unfortunately, win more than once. I had a story in for Q2 when I found out that I had won in Q1, and Joni (the contest director) pulled my Q2 story from consideration.

"Win" means getting first, second, or third place in any given quarter. Essentially, if you get any form of cash prize, you have "won" the contest, even if you did not get first place or the grand prize.

You can absolutely enter multiple quarters in a row before results come out. In fact, it's a good strategy to try to enter every quarter, as this maximizes your opportunities to win. You cannot, unfortunately, win more than once. I had a story in for Q2 when I found out that I had won in Q1, and Joni (the contest director) pulled my Q2 story from consideration.

Wow! Congrats on the win!! I think the story I'm working on for Q2 will be better than the one I'm submitting for Q1, but guess if I should be so lucky I'll just have to find another place for the second story. That would be a very nice problem to have. Thanks -- (Oh - and win will you know if you won the grand prize? - do they wait until the Gala?)

Chris533 wrote:Wow! Congrats on the win!! I think the story I'm working on for Q2 will be better than the one I'm submitting for Q1, but guess if I should be so lucky I'll just have to find another place for the second story. That would be a very nice problem to have. Thanks -- (Oh - and win will you know if you won the grand prize? - do they wait until the Gala?)

They make you wait until the announcement on stage. They make you wait until after the illustrators' grand prize, even. This in no way reduces you to a quivering bag of nerves in a tuxedo. Nope. Not at all. o_O;;

MattDovey wrote:They make you wait until the announcement on stage. They make you wait until after the illustrators' grand prize, even. This in no way reduces you to a quivering bag of nerves in a tuxedo. Nope. Not at all. o_O;;

Man, I can't even imagine what that must have felt like. Seems like a million miles away, so I don't even try to think about it. Just keep writing, and just keep submitting (to WOTF and the markets), and just keep hoping for that acceptance email one day...lol

"Win" means getting first, second, or third place in any given quarter. Essentially, if you get any form of cash prize, you have "won" the contest, even if you did not get first place or the grand prize.

You can absolutely enter multiple quarters in a row before results come out. In fact, it's a good strategy to try to enter every quarter, as this maximizes your opportunities to win. You cannot, unfortunately, win more than once. I had a story in for Q2 when I found out that I had won in Q1, and Joni (the contest director) pulled my Q2 story from consideration.

Wow! Congrats on the win!! I think the story I'm working on for Q2 will be better than the one I'm submitting for Q1, but guess if I should be so lucky I'll just have to find another place for the second story. That would be a very nice problem to have. Thanks -- (Oh - and win will you know if you won the grand prize? - do they wait until the Gala?)

Thanks! And yeah, the wait is going to be brutal. Also, it's totally normal for your story for next quarter to be better - that would indicate improvement!

Chris533 wrote:Does a published finalist get the whole week? Or just the Gala. (if the whole week, maybe I'd rather have one or two of those first!)

Also -- how does the published finalist get picked?

Trivia question: anyone ever have two, or more, stories in the same book?

The whole week! You are a winner in everything but the fact. You get paid for your story (but not prize money). The workshop. The gala. A trophy with your name on it. It's the best.

Published finalist gets picked by the editor, in our case David Farland, with some input from the Galaxy Press folk but fairly minor (ie, they might tell him they only have room for an 8k story, so the 17k bruiser is out).

You can't have two in the same book, because if you're a winner a different quarter they won't pick your in-reserve finalist. And if you happen to have two non-winning finalist stories in the same year like I did for V32, they're only going to take one of those.

Published Finalist is right up there with Grand Prize for scarcity. One, maybe two, in a year. And... while I don't know how the contest would handle it. I very strongly urge any published finalist to keep trying to win, but recuse yourself from future PF considerations. I told Joni not to hold my Q3 non-winning finalist this year. I want to go back. But PF should go to someone who hasn't had that chance.

Dustin Adams wrote:Winning is placing. It means Joni asks you if you're sitting down. Words I have yet to hear.

However, published finalist is not a win, but grants almost all the benefits of a win, plus you can keep entering.

I love Eric James Stone's method.His Q4 was the published finalist, and around the time he learned he'd be going to LA, his Q1 placed.So he went two years in a row.

That is what win means.

Does a published finalist get the whole week? Or just the Gala. (if the whole week, maybe I'd rather have one or two of those first!)

Also -- how does the published finalist get picked?

Trivia question: anyone ever have two, or more, stories in the same book?

As far as I know, the most any single person has been published in the WOTF volumes is twice--first as a finalist, and then as a winner. There's probably at least a dozen people like this, though I haven't counted.Theoretically, it's possible (I think) to be a published finalist three times and then win, in which case you'd have four stories in the WOTF volumes. I don't think it will happen, but then again, many things have happened lately that I thought would never happen, so...who knows?